CanBind

CanBind identifies genes with functionally important mutations that contribute to tumorigenesis by mapping large-scale exome mutations onto protein binding sites (nucleic acids, small molecules, ions, peptides) and detecting enrichment in residues involved in protein interactions.

Key Features:

• Focus on Molecular Interactions: Targets protein residues that engage in interactions with nucleic acids, small molecules, ions, and peptides, based on the observation that these residues are more frequently mutated in cancer.
• Integration with Protein Structures: Maps exome data from patient samples onto protein structural information to examine spatial patterns of mutations at binding sites.
• Automated Extraction and Analysis: Identifies proteins with an enriched number of mutations affecting their binding sites to highlight functionally relevant genes in cancer.
• Detection of Infrequent Mutations: Concentrates on specific functional regions of proteins to detect infrequent but potentially crucial mutations involved in tumorigenesis.

Scientific Applications:

• Cancer Genomics Research: Highlights genes and protein sites implicated in tumorigenesis by enrichment of somatic mutations at molecular interaction sites.
• Functional Genomic Studies: Pinpoints mutations at binding sites to support studies of molecular mechanisms underlying cancer.

Methodology:

Integrates large-scale exome data with protein structural information and focuses on binding sites to identify genes enriched in mutations affecting protein interaction residues.